NEW BOOK just for Homeschoolers!

Baby Kong by Scott Stroud, Illustrated by Jim Hunt

Mom is determined to have a productive day homeschooling the kids, but in her way stands Baby Kong!!!

Set on destroying everything in his path, including Mom's sanity, Baby Kong rampages through the house. Thankfully, Mom has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Recommended for kids 4 to 8 and parents of all ages!

Visit the Home's Cool Kids Web Site for more...

The Illustrated Book of Aesop's Fables - Barron's Educational Series
Special online pricing at Barron's Education

Aesop, the legendary Greek storyteller, lived in the 6th century B.C., but his wise and witty tales—each with its own distinctive moral— remain as popular in our own day as they were when first told. Here are many of Aesop’s best-known fables, all of them complemented with large, full-color illustrations of unusually high quality. The tales included in this volume are categorized according to the animals playing lead roles. Thus under “Lion” we have the fables of “The Lion and the Rat,” “The Lion and the Bull,” “The Lion and the Ass,” and several more, each with its own witty conclusion. Other animal themes include fables of the Fox, the Wolf, and the Eagle. Here is a wonderful introduction to Aesop’s immortal fables for boys and girls, a volume that is both beautiful to look at and enjoyable to read. Adults, too, will treasure this book. Color illustrations on every page.

llustrated by Germano Ovani, Simona Bucan, Daniela Pellegrini, and Manuela Cenci

THE ROBOT KIT
Barrons Educational Series List Price: $19.99 Special online pricing at Barron's Education

by Sarah Chapman, Illustrated by Jamie Oliver - All books by this author

This is a BOX of robotic fun that is filled with everything young robot enthusiasts need to start constructing their own automatons. The kit contains components made of reinforced paper with a metallic finish. These parts can be put together to make four different easy-to-assemble robots - a truck, a spider, and two humanoid robots. Kids will also find a set of electronic components that will bring their robots to life. Electronic parts include a circuit board, lights, a buzzer, a battery holder, and battery connectors. (Batteries aren't included.) Here is a set of components guaranteed to bring kids hours of fun, entertainment, and education. (Ages 8 and older)

Editor's Review: What a fun introduction to the world of robots! From science fiction to real-life application, this kit make a nice gift any child would enjoy. The directions are easily readable, with clear illustrations. The book covers an introduction to robots with just enough information. Building the robots is a highly satisfactory experience.

About The Author:
Sarah Chapman is a London-based editor and writer who has worked on a wide range of books for both children and adults. In making the subject of robots enjoyable and accessible to children, she worked with a consultant, Jim Wyatt, an expert on Intelligent Systems and Robotics.

WizardsSpell is an interactive online spelling tool with the flexibility to meet the spelling practice and improvement needs of all students. WizardsSpell is web-based, meaning that no changes are required to your computer. The tool can be used at home or at school or anywhere there is access to the Internet. WizardsSpell uses the best aspects of technology to help students learn.

WizardsSpell is very flexible. Word lists can be created to match homework assignments or to meet a student's special needs. A library of word lists is also available.
The program uses sight and sound to present and then fade from view each word on a spelling list. The student enters each spelling word on the keyboard to reinforce the word. Feedback is immediate, encouraging, and positive. Results are recorded for the student, the teacher, and the parent to understand where further practice may be necessary.

About the creator of WizardsSPELL, Melanie Gann:
Melanie Gann’s daughter Lucy was diagnosed with a learning disability that made it difficult for her to spell. Melanie tried all the conventional ways of helping Lucy with her spelling but nothing was working. So Melanie decided to find her own way of teaching Lucy.

A software programmer and web designer by trade, Melanie developed a computer tool that turned spelling into a sensory-rich activity. It works like this -- the computer "says" a word, the word appears on the screen and immediately fades, and then the child types the word. Sounds simple, really, but the results for Lucy were astounding. She went from flunking spelling quizzes to nearly acing them. By hearing, seeing, and typing words all at once, she was internalizing the building blocks language like never before.

Melanie saw Lucy's progress and decided she needed to turn this "game" into a website -- www.WizardsSpell.com -- that would help other parents help their kids. The website has just launched its full suite of features, including a library of spelling lists customized for specific grade levels. Students can use these tools independently. Visit the site today and try it out for yourself.

Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables, Fast, Fun & Easy with Dazzling Patterns, Grids and Tricks!
by Eugenia Francis

This an innovative, lively workbook, designed for parents wishing to reinforce classroom teaching or home school their children. Designed for Grades 2, 3 and 4, this workbook is also suitable for children with special needs. Unlike conventional methods, this workbook teaches the child to discern patterns among odd and even numbers and discover secret codes of multiplication.

Rather than presenting one table at a time, the numerous grids, puzzles and games present each table in context of the others. Your child will learn by doing. Use this workbook to instill in your child a love of numbers and confidence in math.

A review: Eugenia Francis has created an easy, entertaining way of teaching the multiplication tables. My nieces and nephews loved the circus motif and coloring in the animals as they did each page. With all the grids, patterns and games, Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables would be especially helpful to children with special learning needs. Who knew there were patterns & tricks to the multiplication tables instead of endless hours of rote memorization I had as a child? Finally, learning the times tables is fast, fun and easy!

LITTLE BOX OF PIRATE TREASURES
Barron's Educational Series - List Price: $16.99 - Special online pricing at Barron's Education

Here is a veritable treasure chest of fun for kids. When they open this miniature pirate?s chest, they?ll discover:
An Eye Patch, An Earring, Pirate's Coins,Rope for Nautical Knot-Tying, A Jolly Roger Pirate Flag,Pirate Posters
A Pirate's Bandana, A Pirate's Journal Also, a paperback book and sets of cards teach kids how to tie sailor's knots, recognize different types of sailing ships, and follow a pirates' treasure map. Hidden in the chest's secret compartment is a hoard of replica coins, an eye patch, a pirate's flag, and ship's rope. As kids look further into the chest they will find a hardcover Pirate's Journal—a thrilling sea story that begins at a Caribbean port in the year 1715 and tells of a search for buried treasure. 'The Little Box of Pirate Treasures is a terrific child's pastime, a source of fun on rainy days, and a kit guaranteed to spark youthful imaginations while providing hours of pleasure. The hardcover book is 32 pp.and the paperback book is 24 pp.(Ages 8 and older)

Editor's Review: This box of 'treasure" will be an instant hit with boys ages 6 - 10. It's fun, creative and educational. Not only good for a rainy day, it will lead them outside to explore, make maps and bury their own treasures.

MY DAD'S TOOLBOX
Barron's Educational Series List Price: $16.99 Special online pricing at Barron's Education

Fabulous Pop-Up Toolbox with Working Tools
Amanda Archer, Illustrated by Deborah Van Der Leijgraaf - All books by this author

Toddlers who open up this board book will discover a play toolbox just like Dad?s. Now, kids can help Dad fix leaky faucets with the heavy board wrench, use the play hammer to put picture nails on the wall, saw some wood to repair the backyard fence, and use the screwdriver to tighten the hands on a clock. When kids open this book to its first page, a make-pretend cardboard toolbox pops up through a rectangular hole that extends through all of the board pages. The toolbox holds sturdy board tools with Velcro backing, and can be removed, then applied to movable parts in each of the book?s color illustrations of things around the house that need to be repaired. Here?s a toolbox filled with fun from first page to last. (Ages 3-7)

Board book / 12 Pages / 9 1/2 x 12 / 2006

MusiCan®

MusiCan® offers an interactive and structured music program that does not rely on the musical ability of the teacher!
MusiCan® is an outstanding resource from music education, harnessing an understanding and appreciation of music in a fun and engaging environment.

Children embark on an exciting musical adventure enriched with superlative animation, graphics and sound, engaging songs, and excellent interactive games. Acitvities are appealing and diverse and are designed to help develop basic music skills including aural discrimination, pitch recognition and timing and beat. MusiCan® contains a comprehensive tracking facility, enabling continuous assessment at individual and class level.

Unique educational benefits of MusiCan®:
> Promotes staged learning
> Caters for different learning styles
> Speech and Language Development
> Memory listening and hearing skills
> Social skills through participation with others
> Self-esteem through doing and achievement
> Attention focus and helps children to think creatively
> Lots of praise and positive reinforcement
> Suitable for the non-specialist teacher
> No prior knowledge of music is needed
> MusiCan® is localised for each market
> MusiCan® is SCORM compliant - will run on any
Learning Management System
> MusiCan® is deliverable over the web where available

MusiCan®'s uncluttered, child-friendly interface ensures intuitive navigation for all in the target audience, complimented by large colourful icons and plenty of oral instructions. The first MusiCan® title is now available, with 4 further titles available in 2005 promising the definitive music eduction suite for primary children. Visit their site for a trial run:
http://www.musican.com